STEM-Talk: Marc Hamilton on the metabolic power behind the soleus push-up

Published 1.12.24

Dr. Marc Hamilton has published pioneering work on the soleus push-up, a potent physiological method with the ability to elevate metabolism for hours, even while sitting.

Hamilton is well-known for a string of papers beginning in early 2000’s that found excessive sitting should be viewed as a serious health hazard.

In Episode 161 of STEM-Talk, available now on all podcast platforms, Hamilton shares his scientific evolution during a conversation with IHMC’s founder Dr. Ken Ford and Dr. Marcas Bamman, IHMC’s Director of Healthspan, Resilience, and Performance Research. Hamilton is a a professor of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston.

Today’s interview is wide-ranging and covers:

• The inspiration his childhood history of hunting and studying animal biology had for his affinity for the real-world scientific problems he works on today.
• His work beginning in the early 2000s about how long periods of inactivity impact lipoprotein lipase regulation.
• How he came to the conclusion that excessive sitting should be considered a serious health hazard.
• How the study of the soleus muscle and its function evolved.
• What proper activation of the soleus muscle looks like and what it’s impacts can be.
• What’s next for Hamilton and his team.

Learn more about the soleus push-up, the science behind it, Hamilton and his lab.

IHMC is a not-for-profit research institute of the Florida University System where researchers pioneer science and technology aimed at leveraging and extending human capabilities. IHMC researchers and staff collaborate extensively with the government, industry and academia to help develop breakthrough technologies. IHMC research partners have included: DARPA, the National Science Foundation, NASA, Army, Navy, Air Force, National Institutes of Health, IBM, Microsoft, Honda, Boeing, Lockheed, and many others.